A Twist of Fate, Act II: The Power of a Choice
by Supreme Mystic Dragon
Summary: Dire events are shaking the Demon World as the Prophecy that haunts Raven is revealed to be larger than Earth or Azarath. Beastboy and Starfire have set out to find Terra, but it may be too little, too late. YYH and various crossover
1. Prologue: Plots Unfolding

A/N This is the second part of "A Twist of Fate." I decided to post this as a separate story because the feel of it is much different than the first act. Be warned that the crossover is quite a bit more pronounced.

I've decided to give this act an "R" rating so that I don't have to self-censor :)

I haven't fixed Act 1 yet, but I decided that the prank that Starfire and Raven did consisted of throwing Beastboy in the bathtub and taking pictures of him as a poodle with ribbons. That replaces the scene with them cross-dressing him. Other than that, the original plot stands.

Also, I'm sorry that I haven't been working on this lately, but I couldn't work out what was going on. Now that I have the required information, things are making sense again :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or Yu-Yu Hakusho.

* * *

A Twist of Fate, Act 2: The Power of a Choice

By Supreme Mystic Dragon

* * *

_Prologue: Plots Unfolding_

* * *

In a place deep within the earth, a plot put in motion years before was coming to fruition. 

Slade sat on his throne, staring at the viewscreens around him. The dark room seemed to swallow Slade's form, showing only the orange half of his mask and his single eye. He watched the many screens intently, seemingly calm and relaxed. In reality, he was far from it.

_Patience,_ He reminded himself. He stared at the video feeds of Terra. She had been running for almost a week. It was almost time.

His hand involuntarily curled into a fist, but he forced himself to relax as he stroked the implants he had developed to meld with Terra's central nervous system. His impatience and frustration was caused by the part of his plan that hadn't worked out. _Robin..._

Robin and Terra were supposed to be his. _No matter._ He stroked the cold metal implants that would allow him to augment Terra's powers. _With this, the Titans will face both of us in the same body._

"Come to me, Terra. You belong at my side..."

* * *

In a much different place, someone else was also sitting on a throne. 

The throne room was unassuming. Arched windows looked out upon a huge open plain. The walls were a bland, tan colored sandstone. Delicate chimes sounded to indicate noontime. The person on the throne lazily gazed toward one of the arched balconies.

A stunning blue-haired girl flew in from outside. She was dressed in a ceremonial kimono, and was flying on an oar. Boton was a frequent visitor to Hiei's fortress, now that she was Yusuke's Sensechal. She landed gracefully, and bowed slightly.

"I have the news you requested." Boton said respectfully.

"Good. What did the agents of Fate say?"

"About what you'd expect. 'Your master is tampering in matters he should not...' the usual warnings. Nothing specific, though. The high priestess wasn't happy about your request, but no direct orders not to get involved."

"That's what I wanted to hear. Any news about Hiei?"

Boton frowned. "I saw him a few days ago. He's tearing the Makai apart looking for the demon that he found sneaking around here."

Yusuke frowned thoughtfully. Hiei asked him to oversee his domain almost two weeks ago, saying that a sneaky demon had infiltrated his fortress and escaped. Hiei had been certain that something had been stolen, and left in an uncharacteristic rage. Yusuke was impersonating the vile-tempered fire apparition, but his affairs required tending as well. At least he was able to set up this favor for Hiei to do for him.

"Hiei isn't going to like this." Boton said suddenly, as if reading Yusuke's thoughts.

"Hiei doesn't like anything." Yusuke said with a smile. "You might be surprised about this one, though. She's sorta like Yukina...with an attitude."

Boton grinned at him. "Yukina with an attitude is Hiei."

Yusuke smirked. "Go find Genkai for me. I shouldn't be wandering around this place more than I have to."

* * *

Hiei was sitting on a spire of rock, idly searching for the intruder he'd followed here. His Jagan eye should have made it easy to follow the creature, but it slipped through his fingers in the first few days of the chase. 

_How could it be hiding from me..._

He was upset that he'd spentso much time chasing the intruder. He absently curled his right hand into a fist. _It must not be in the Makai anymore._

Returning to the Makai had been like coming home. His kingdom resided in a different dimension now, but the untamed nature of the Makai still moved him a way that few other things could. Visiting his mother's and Yukina's grave in the island of the ice apparitions had been a been a necessary rekindling of the memories he'd once had.

Ever since he'd been re-incarnated into a human body, he'd felt incomplete. When he'd found a way to become a full demon, much the way Kurama had, he'd felt closer to what he really was. Standing before the pillars of ice that marked the graves in the ice world, he'd felt a rush of memories. Some were bitter, some were sweet. He'd left his sister's teargem on the marker, but kept his own.

Yusuke's hand on the Makai was everywhere. Almost a thousand years had passed since King Raizen died, and Yusuke and Yomi's heir were the two sovereigns now. Mokuro and Kurama died during the proceeding centuries. Hiei had been dead for more than eight hundred years before a twist of fate brought about his rebirth less than two decades before. _I've never felt such peace...before or since._

He idly scanned the horizon. The Makai was no challenge to him now. His power was low when he'd been reborn, but that never stopped him before. He was now an S-class demon, easily in league with Yusuke and Shura, and his mastery of the black flame made him one of most feared demons anywhere.

Asurge of power caught his attention, and hefocused on the disturbance. He felt a wave of disappointment as he looked across the wasted desert that Raizen had once called home. It wasn't the demon he was searching for...it was Shura's minions.

* * *

"Our master does not approve of your presence within the borders of his land,"a blue-skinned humanoid said with thinly veiled menace. 

Hiei turned a bored eye to Shura's soldiers. He only sensed A-class power coming from each of the five. _Respectable for a patrol...I wonder if one of them isn't an S-class. Shura wouldn't insult me with less._

"I don't appreciate Shura harboring spying little nuisances," Hiei replied with cool disdain, not bothering to mention that he was on the border and hadn't entered yet.

The blue skinned one blinked. "An unknown demon passed here four days ago."

Hiei gifted him with a glance that Kuwabara had known well. "I'm aware of that, idiot."

The other demon flushed red in embarrassment and anger. "Then what are you doing here?"

_He isn't the strong one,_ Hiei thought to himself. _Not enough control._ He glanced briefly at the other four. One seemed more sure of himself then the others, but that was misleading. _Still, if any of them are S-class, then it's that one._

He ignored the blue-skinned one's comment as he sized up the confident demon standing to the right of him. It was vaguely lizardlike, but sinuous...like a snake. The impression was reinforced by the dark eyes that stared back at him. His ruby-colored eyes usually unnerved people. This one was unmoved.

Hiei got up from his sitting position with a casual grace. He balanced on the spire effortlessly as he stared across the gap between him and the other demons. They were standing on a ledge nearby.

"Are you Shura's lieutenant?" Hiei asked the scaled one.

The scaled one smiled. It wasn't pleasant, but Hiei wasn't intimidated. "I am not, though I speak with Shura's voice in this matter. I did not expect to find a legend here today." His voice was a sibilant hiss, and fangs showed as he spoke.

"What happened?" Hiei asked in seeming indifference.

The lizardman made an odd sound of displeasure, much like scales rubbing together. "The creature is gone. We watched its progress as it came through here, and sought to capture it as it came close to one of our cities. It opened a gate to another plane as we were closing in."

Hiei sighed in disappointment. "Give my regards to Shura." He glanced toward the other spires, preparing to leap.

"Dark One!" The lizardman said sharply.

Hiei glanced back. "What?"

"I am called Sazuken, and Shura has ordered me to escort you to the place where the creature gated himself away from us." He hesitated for a moment. "It was a great embarrassment to us that it escaped, and Shura was enraged that a Planeswalker dared to enter his domain. He said that you have such ability, and that you have shown the honor that he remembers by refusing to enter his domain without permission."

Hiei tilted his head slightly, flexing his right arm as he did so. "So, I'm free to enter his realm with you as my chaperone?"

"That is correct."

Hiei removed his headband, and his Jagan eye opened. "Then let's get this over with." He was idly cracking his knuckles.

The lizardman hesitated slightly. "I do not understand your request."

Hiei sighed. _Why must I be surrounded by such morons!_ "Shura told you to test me, didn't he? Let's go."

Sazuken looked at him with new respect. "I had heard that you are human now. You are brave, Dark One." He, too, was stretching and flexing his claws.

"And you were a fool to volunteer for this job." Hiei relaxed the restraints on his demon energy.

Sazuken paled slightly as Hiei started to glow with a hellish radiance. Red energy outlined The dark-haired Imiko, looking like shifting magma. Sazuken responded in kind, and started to glow with an emerald aura. The other demons withdrew to allow the combatants space to fight.

Hiei was worried about the political implications of this. _Shura's testing me on more than one level. He has to know that I prefer to kill my opponents, but I may lose my chance to follow the intruder if I kill this fool._

In his mind, the battle was already over and Sazuken was defeated. The question now was how. His dragon usually didn't work against S-class demons, and would have been inappropriate anyway if he wanted to keep Sazuken in one piece.

"Are you ready?" Hiei asked with a faint note of insolence.

Sazuken smiled his horrible fanged smile. "It is an honor to fight you, Hiei of the Black Flame. Legends state that you could have been one of the Kings of the Makai. Of course, you could be an imposter, in which case I will gladly feast upon your flesh."

Hiei smirked back. "I think you'll find that I'm not on the menu."

* * *

Hiei waited for Sazuken to make the first move, absently testing his balance. _Let's see what he's capable of._

Sazuken tensed and spat a blob of poison from his mouth. Hiei leaned to his right and with a quiet whisper of sound jumped to an adjacent pillar, carefully watching for a second attack. The lizardman smoothly jumped toward Hiei with his talons extended.

Hiei used his incredible speed to move to another pillar, but he also drew his sword and slashed the one he was previously standing on. Sazuken watched the Imiko in disbelief, but couldn't stop his jump. As his scaled foot touched the pillar, the entire mass began sliding backward. Sazuken jumped back to his original perch.

"I didn't expect you to be this good, Dark One."

Hiei favored him with an annoyed look. "You're beginning to bore me. Quit holding back because of my assumed weakness."

"As you say, Dark One. Lord Shura asked me to go easy on you, but If you wish it otherwise I will be happy to show you my full strength."

Hiei cleared his mind, and allowed his demon instincts to come forward. _Time to stop holding back._

Sazuken flew at him with lightning speed, easily three times faster than before. Hiei met the attack, and the two exchanged a series of punches, neither getting though the other's guard. Sazuken's talons glowed with a noxious green energy, and when they broke away from each other, Hiei felt several stinging cuts along his arms. They both landed on a flat plateau far above the ground.

Sazuken seemed to have taken some damage during the rapid exchange, but he had an eerie smile on his face. As he was trying to read the creepy snake-like demon, the cuts on his arms started to burn with stabbing pain. Hiei shut it out. _His special attacks are probably all venom related. I'll have to be careful if he can make poisonous clouds._

"Clever. Even minor hits are dangerous when you deal them" Hiei said flatly.

"One of my favorite techniques" Sazuken said as he shook his arms out, wincing as he did so. "I'm surprised that someone as small as you can hit so hard, though."

Hiei focused his mind though the pain and launched himself toward Sazuken, channeling fire into his fists.

"Fist of the Mortal Flame!" Hiei shouted as the flames formed an aura around his hands.

Surprisingly, the reptilian demon side-slipped the attack and countered with a knee to Hiei's stomach. Hiei recovered and jumped away, but was feeling a bit fuzzy when he landed. He looked up just in time to see a spray of poison coming toward him.

Hiei struck the ground with a fiery fist. "Wall ofthe Mortal Flame!"

Flames rose from the ground in front of Hiei, and the poison blast vaporized in the intense heat. Hiei panted in exhaustion. _How could I be so weak after two attacks!_

Sazuken smirked at him through the flames. "I see that you aren't immune to my slowing poison. Not only does it make you weaker, it also destroys your demon energy. I am Lord Shura's master assassin. A shame...you seemed like such a promising opponent."

Hiei coughed, spitting up some blood. "I doubt you work for Shura. At least, exclusively."

Sazuken smiled wider, showing off his horrid fangs. "Very good for a has-been. I work for Shura, but my true master is not of the corrupt weaklings that now inhabit the Makai." He paused, savoring Hiei's agony. "You may wonder how I know of you. I know the legends of the Makai, and long ago such weaklings as Urameshi and Shura would never be the Kings here. Only the strong deserve to live. My master's time is coming, and when it does, the Makai will be reborn again!"

Sazuken flexed his clawed hands. "I will tell Shura that you were an imposter after I kill you. You were a fool to track Kageri outside your own realm, but my master said that you would. He always knows."

Hiei chuckled weakly, his mocking laughter echoed eerily throughout the canyon. "You **are** a fool, Sazuken. I knew it from the first moment I saw you." Hiei shook his head to clear it, and unwrapped the bandage on his right arm. A black dragon tattoo was underneath.

Sazuken laughed harshly. "You don't have the energy, fool. Besides, if it didn't work on that bitch, Mokuro, then it won't work on me."

Hiei froze in anger at Sazuken's insult. "That will be the last time you speak her name," He said as he pulled himself to his feet. He focused on giving his remaining power to the dragon on his arm, and its form began to ripple, gaining size as it traveled toward Sazuken.

"Dragon…of…the darkness…FLAME!"

The dragon left his arm, growing to impossible size, looking like death's shadow brought to life. Sazuken confidently put an arm out to stop it.

The impact shattered the spires around them, and Hiei was on his knees, wracked with pain from the poison. He couldn't see what was happening to the traitorous lizard, but the dragon was still moving forward…

The other four demons wailed as the dragon's aura incinerated them, even though they were quite a distance from the fight. As the dragon swung around in its attempt to consume Sazuken, Hiei could see glowing red runes on Sazuken's body. _Great. I don't recognize those. Must be some strange form of magic._

Sazuken seemed to be gaining strength from the runes, and was getting the upper hand on the dragon. With a contemptuous smirk, he threw the dragon back at Hiei.

Hiei was swallowed into the dragon, but the black flame was absorbed by his body. The poison within him burned away, and Hiei's head cleared.

Sazuken frowned at him. "I'm tired of this you little fool. This time, stay dead!"

Hiei smiled a demonic smile. "You actually thought you had a chance, didn't you?" He moved faster than Sazuken could track, and hit him in the face. _Those runes weren't on him before. He's possessed by something. I can't let it see any more of my power._

Even as Sazuken was reeling from the blow, Hiei formed a sword of black flame. Four hits, and less then a tenth of a second later, Hiei touched the ground. Sazuken's lifeless eyes stared back at him.

Hiei felt the dragon return to his arm. He slumped against one of the cliff walls. _I hate having to use that... _He thought to himself as he waited for his wounds to heal and his demon energy to regenerate.


	2. Chapter I: Opening Moves

A/N: Hi everyone! I'm afraid this is going to take some time. I require several items of source material to write this, and I have a separate story that's going really well. Even so, I'm going to write this as I am able to. Enjoy!

Special thanks go to Demigod for letting me borrow her portrayal and back stories for Jinx and Gizmo from her story Honeycomb Love.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or Yu-Yu Hakusho

* * *

Chapter 1: Opening Moves of the Great Game

* * *

"Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos…" 

Raven was meditating on the roof of Titans Tower. It was early, and the sun was just rising over the horizon. Its light was wan and gave no warmth as it rose in the cloudy sky. The unseasonably warm weather of the past few days had vanished, leaving a bitter chill in the dry air. _Winter reminds us that this is still her time,_ Raven thought. She shivered, absently shrugging her cape back in place.

The past few days had been exhausting, and Raven's dislike of associating with other people had been whetted to a fine edge, as had her temper. She'd had to put her feelings aside and do things she'd never dreamed of having to do, all because of a pathetic little girl and the boy who loved her.

"Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos…"

She knew that her anger was excessive and irrational, but it bothered her that no one took her feelings and needs into consideration. It wasn't her preference to be the way she was. She would have given anything simply to have a choice about that.

"Why is Terra more important than I am?" She whispered to herself.

* * *

As the sun rose higher, Raven felt herself become more calm. _I'm simply expressing the emotions I couldn't feel this week, that's all._ Her calm increased as she accepted that as the truth. _This week wasn't all bad, anyway._

Because of Starfire and Beastboy, Raven had come to a private understanding of herself in the last few days. She no longer felt isolated and alone because of her powers and heritage. It was her choice to associate with the others or whether to pursue her own interests. She was a worthwhile person…not the monster she was afraid she might be.

"Azerath…Metrion…Zin…" As Raven was whispering her mantra with a faint smile on her lips, she was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass, and moments later, an object crashing against the rocks below the tower. _What was that?_

She opened her eyes and walked to the edge of the roof, staring down in morbid curiousity. Glittering shards of glass littered the ground below her, and the wreckage of a wooden chair punctuated the strange scene. Raven's eyes drifted to the now broken window the chair had been unceremoniously expelled from.

The main living area.

* * *

Raven sank through the layers of building, using her mastery over shadows to move toward the source of the ruckus. Already, she could hear indistinct shouting. She eased her way though the ceiling, and drifted to the floor, looking like a living fragment of darkness. As she stepped out of her shadow form, she saw a furious Robin pacing the room, and Cyborg looking grim. 

"I can't believe this!" Robin was shouting, waving a piece of paper. "What does she think this is! She could jeopardize everything!"

"Robin! Chill!" Cyborg said, his face deadly serious. "They aren't that far ahead. We can catch them."

Raven felt a shiver go down her spine. "Go after who?" She asked flatly.

Robin turned to her, and she was startled to see a raging fury in his eyes. "STARFIRE AND BEASTBOY WENT AFTER TERRA!" He shouted. "They snuck out last night. They have almost a twelve hour lead on us."

Raven felt the blood drain from her face, and an icy horror gripped at her heart. "No…" She heard herself say faintly. "She can't…no…I…she doesn't know…"

Robin visibly pulled himself together, although Raven saw him shudder when he looked at her. "What is it, Raven?"

Raven slumped, dragging herself to the table. "Bring me some tea."

Robin opened his mouth, but Cyborg elbowed him into silence. The huge teen walked into the kitchen and poured some hot water into her cup with the tea mix in it. Raven didn't notice his actions as she stared at the table, seeing in her mind the mysterious monster that was in the desert, waiting for them.

Raven almost jumped out of her skin when Cyborg placed the cup before her. She forced herself to pick up the cup and drink it. _So much for my good mood, _She thought grimly. She took a few shuddery breaths, trying to pull herself out of her shock. _Starfire, what have you gotten yourself into…?_

"Robin, let me see the note."

Robin didn't look happy, but he nodded and handed her the sheet. Raven read the short note, trying to fathom Starfire's motive.

"The future -our future- may depend on us saving her…" Raven read absently, aloud. Raven re-read the note two more times, just to be sure. Only then did she glare at Robin.

"This is your fault."

* * *

Robin had been having a relatively good morning until he found Starfire's note. He'd gone to sleep drunk on his love for the fiery-haired alien girl. Now, though, everything that could go wrong was going wrong. 

Even with all that, nothing could have stunned him more than Raven's four word declaration.

"What are you talking about…?"

Raven's gaze was merciless, her eyes looking like twin mirrors reflecting the cold of the night. "You didn't have a plan, so Starfire made one herself." Raven paused, looking as if she was pondering what to say next. "What she and Beastboy are doing would be fine if they weren't walking into a trap."

Robin choked. "What kind of a trap? Is it Slade?"

Raven sighed. "You wish. Slade is nothing compared to whoever is out there right now." She sipped some of her tea. "This is bad that they left without knowing that. We all should have gone."

"We still can. Titans, prepare to move!"

Raven gave him a disgusted look. "Robin, have you ever heard of Murphy's law?"

Just as she posed the question, alarms rang all over the tower. "Emergency, emergency…" The polite voice of the central computer rang out.

* * *

"How did you know?" Robin asked Raven as they flew toward the prison that held the criminals of the city with unusual powers. 

Raven's mind was in turmoil over Starfire and Beastboy's fate, but she savagely got herself under control. _They made this choice, but I hope it doesn't cost them their lives. We won't be able to follow._ "When you add all of this up, it was inevitable. Slade knows that we're down two members. He's going to keep the pressure on us until the others return." _If they return…_ She added to herself bitterly.

Cyborg was piloting the T-Sub to the peninsula where the grim gray walls of the prison rose. The three remaining Titans blanched when they beheld the utter destruction that was occurring.

* * *

_I hate my employer,_ Hiei thought darkly. It was a cold day out, and he was spending it breaking two obnoxious children out of prison. _I'm charging him double for this._

He visually surveyed the prison, bringing to mind the mental map that the Guardian had shown him the previous night. The dark-haired Imiko mentally reviewed the meeting from the night before, committing the details to mind.

* * *

_"Hiei, I want you to recover two children tomorrow." _

"Why don't you do it?" He'd asked insolently _"I thought you preferred that anyway." _

The Guardian had frowned. _"I'm busy with something more pressing, but at the same time, this is too important for anyone else to handle." _

"Fine. Don't even think of sending me on another operation like this again, though."

"Good. The kids' names are Jinx and Gizmo. I want you to pick them up tomorrow morning. They're in a maximum security prison."

"Really…how old are they?"

"I'm not sure. Probably around fourteen." The Guardian had raised an eyebrow. "_You were a terror from the time you could walk, so I don't know why that surprises you." _

"Point taken…but I'm a demon. What do these humans do?"

"They're part of an elite group of child criminals called the HIVE. Jinx is a sorceress, Gizmo is a technologist."

"So I break them out, and bring them here. Simple enough."

The Guardian had shaken a finger at him. _"I know what you're thinking, and you can forget it. Absolutely **no casualties**, especially the people who are going to try and stop you."_

_"And who would they be?" _

"I'll give you descriptions. They're the heroes of the city."

"What does this have to do with what's going on in the Makai?"

"One of the heroes is Trigon's daughter."

* * *

"Fist of the Mortal Flame!" Hiei shouted as he channeled his inner fire into his hands, melting the cell door. His progress into the prison had been rapid, as he could move far faster than a human. Most of the guards hadn't even seen him, and the others dismissed his rapid passing as a shadow or their minds playing tricks on them.

When the door gave way enough to see inside, Hiei noticed a bedraggled girl with pink hair inside. _That would be Jinx._

Jinx's eyes were wide with panic, but Hiei noted that she was making a massive effort to keep herself under control. Hiei's demon powers were unaffected by the damping field that negated Jinx's spells, but he was aware that her powers were unavailable to her in the prison.

"Are you coming?" Hiei asked sarcastically.

"Are you with the HIVE?" She asked doubtfully.

Hiei sighed. _No wonder she didn't totally freak out. She thought I was part of her organization._ "No. My employer would like a word with you."

Jinx took a moment to process this. "Anyplace is better than here. I'm coming."

Hiei chuckled darkly. "I wouldn't be so certain of that, if I were you. There are far worse places than this."

* * *

Jinx wasn't sure about the black haired youth that was leading her through the prison. She watched him suspiciously as he walked through the complex as casually as a normal person would stroll through the park. _Until I get out of here and I can use my powers, he's in charge. After that…_

"Where are we going?" Jinx asked with forced nonchalance.

"To pick up your little friend."

"Gizmo?" Jinx asked incredulously.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure that's what you call him." The boy said with a kind of offhand condescension.

Jinx frowned at the implied insult. "What do you want with him?"

The youth frowned, suddenly looking greatly annoyed. "I don't want him for anything. My employer asked for you two. That's what he's getting. You can ask him what he wants with you when you meet him." He stopped at an unmarked door. "Why don't you get this one?"

Jinx frowned at him. "You know I can't use my powers here."

The strange boy gave her a 'don't be stupid' look. "Only your cell was shielded. They never let you out, right?"

Jinx gave him an angry look. _I should have tried as soon as I was out of my cell. I must be losing my edge here._ "Fine."

Jinx swept both her arms out in a crossed arc, directing two slashes of pink energy at the door. The lock went haywire, and the door fell outward, revealing an annoyed Gizmo.

"What took you clutchheads so long!" He demand of Jinx, and then turned dead white as he saw her companion. He pointed a trembling finger at the dark haired boy. "Is that who I think it is…?"

Jinx frowned at Gizmo. _I've never seen him freak out like this before. What does he know that I don't?_

"Children, if you're done staring at me, I think we should be going," the young boy said in obvious irritation.

* * *

Jinx fumed at the strange boy as they were making their way out. The alarms had started after her cell door had been melted into slag, but until now, the guards had been searching the building in a more or less random fashion. She could almost feel the net tightening around them. _Gizmo won't be of any help until we can get him his backpack. I can use my spells, and that weird boy has some sort of power as well._

Just as she spotted a guard, she gestured toward the ceiling, intending to bring it down. The boy slapped her hand stingingly with a rapid movement. "Claws in, you little wildcat," He said darkly. "If you use your power, they'll know right where we are. I'll take care of this."

Jinx covertly gave him an evil look while nursing her sore hand. _How did her move that fast…?_ Jinx wondered privately. She wasn't a specialist in fighting, but she was better than most. The dark-haired boy had caught her completely by surprise both with the speed and the precision of his hit. _He's in a league all his own…and he has that strange magic..._

"He's a demon." Gizmo abruptly said, still looking spooked.

"What?" Jinx asked, bewildered by his unsolicited statement.

Gizmo's teeth were almost chattering "You want to know what he is. Look at his forehead."

Jinx focused further down the corridor where the dark-haired boy was confidently striding toward the hapless guard. _Well, that guard is dogmeat._

Just when she was sure the boy was going to fry the guard, he took off a headband and a third eye opened in the newly revealed space. Jinx strained to hear what he was saying.

"…Weapons locker…" She made out and then the guard answered, saying something about a central guardroom.

"Jinx, we're in WAY over our heads here!" Gizmo said anxiously, absently feeling around for the weapons pack he usually carried. "We have to get away from him!"

"He's springing us," Jinx replied caustically. "You want to stay in here?"

"You two are holding me up. Let's go," the boy said softly from right behind Jinx.

Jinx flinched. She hadn't felt him return. "What were you talking to the guard about?"

Expressionless dark eyes regarded her. "I convinced him to tell me where the kid's toys are," He said as he tilted his head toward Gizmo. Jinx noted that the guard was out cold, sprawled on the ground. "He'll sleep for a few hours, and then tell them that he doesn't remember what happened. Let's finish up here. I have work to do today."

* * *

Just a few minutes later, they had recovered Gizmo's pack, and strange boy was leading them out of the cell block toward the outer wall. He pointed toward the forbidding barrier. "One of you make a hole for us. I'll watch for pursuit." 

Jinx ground her teeth at him. _He was so careful during our escape that they never figured out where we were, and now he's worried about pursuit? He just wants us to do it so that he can keep an eye on us. Gizmo was right about this guy._

Even so, Jinx's frustration with being caged in the prison boiled up and out in the form of a wicked hex that crackled from her fingers with blue fire. She saw a weakened section of the wall and released her powers in almost a blind rage.

The wall twisted and shattered as if a giant was wringing it like a wet rag. The boy nodded approvingly, but Gizmo frowned at her. "Cool it, Jinx! You know what happens when you go overboard!"

_Gizmo, the voice of restraint…?_ Jinx thought wonderingly, then she noticed him glancing at the strange demon boy. _He's right. If this is a trap, I'm going to need everything I've got to stop him._ "You're right, Gizmo. I'll be more…delicate…from now on."

Gizmo wasn't listening, though. He was looking intently at one of his viewscreens. "Stupid, snotheaded, goody two-shoes losers!" He was swearing non-stop. "We gotta burn! The Titans are coming!"

* * *

Hiei directed a bored look toward Gizmo. "How far away are they?" 

"They'll be here any minute!" Gizmo was grimly loading several programs into his combat pack.

Hiei nodded slightly said as he gracefully jumped over the remains of the ruined wall. He noticed Jinx and Gizmo standing where he left them, sharing a look of suspicion and fear. "You're welcome to wait here for them to put you back in your cells…"

He heard Jinx sigh and Gizmo mutter to himself, followed by the sounds of Jinx scrambling through the rubble and Gizmo's jetpack igniting. _This wasn't too hard. Only a short way back to where I gated here, and we can leave._

"I don't know who you are, but we're here to stop you!" A masked boy with a cape shouted.

Hiei shook his head at the absurdity of what he was seeing. Three people jumped out of some sort of flying vehicle. _A boy with a cape, a cyborg and a half-demoness…_ His thought trailed off as he beheld Raven. _So, she is the daughter of Trigon._

"What are you?" Raven asked coldly, interrupting his musing. The hood of her cape was covering her face, giving her a menacing air that was not conveyed by the other two.

"So, you're the Titans. No wonder my employer is so concerned," Hiei said spitefully. He glanced around. _We're close enough to the gate point. Time to go._ "Unfortunately, we'll probably see each other again."

Hiei tapped into the energies in the area and opened a gateway to his kingdom. As he glanced over his shoulder, he noticed Jinx and Gizmo were nervously eying the portal. Hiei frowned and created a dome of fire.

A moment after the dome was formed, blue energy blasts and blades of darkness struck the dome. "Titans! Don't let them get away!" He could hear the other boy giving orders to take down his protective dome.

Hiei started walking toward the portal. "Where does that go?" Jinx asked softly.

"Heaven or Hell. It depends on your perspective."

"Is that…the Makai?" Gizmo asked nervously.

"I don't have time for this," Hiei said flatly. "Come with me right now or face the Titans by yourself."


	3. Chapter II: The Guardian Emerges

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or any other show portrayed in this.

* * *

Chapter II: The Guardian Emerges

* * *

Darkness, the first element, and the last. All things begin and end with darkness.

The Guardian slept deeply, knowing that his realm was in good hands._The Imiko was a blessing,_ he thought, grateful for the strange boy's appearance. Jere, or Hiei, as he was known previously, was the perfect person to govern his realm. Five years, and not a whisper of trouble. He slept well, dreaming fond dreams of the past, and of the greater future that was coming.

His dreams were interrupted by an ghostly apparition. It was a slight elven woman wearing a night-blue robe. Her flowing dark hair was held in place by a delicate golden crown, and a golden belt encircled her waist. Her expression was grave, but she smiled slightly.

My Son...

"Yes, Mother?" He said it formally, but fondly.

It is time.

"The prophecy?" He asked with resignation.

Yes. Even I do not know who it will be, but the other is coming.

"Well, compared to what brought us to where we are, the rest should be easy."

Do not fall into the trap of arrogance. He may well be your match.

He smiled slightly. "No one has ever been my match, except you."

She frowned at him severely._ No Demon King should ever be taken lightly._

"Hmm...another Demon King? You never mentioned that before."

It would not have meant anything to you. His name is Trigon.

"Raven's father?"

She looked stunned. _How do you know that?_

"I've been considering whether I should bring her here to study. I'd decided to leave well enough alone, but perhaps I should reconsider."

You plan to drag her into this?

"She's already involved. Family business, you might say." The Guardian sighed. "I've done everything I can to prepare. It all comes down to who the true Demon King is."

I will not be involved, unless you fail.

"Let's hope that it doesn't come to that."

* * *

Yusuke was running out of patience. 

Hiei was still missing, even after Yusuke had made a trip to Earth with Genkai to observe Terra. If he hadn't been convinced the acid-tongued fire apparition was indestructible, he'd would have thought something went wrong. _Where the hell is he?_

Boton flew in through one of the arches in an uncharacteristic rush. "Yusuke! Bad news! Hiei destroyed one of Shura's patrols!"

_Great. Wonder what old three-eyes was thinking?_ Yusuke thought without enthusiasm. Ever since the first Makai tournament and the return of Raizen's cadre, a tentative peace had prevailed. Yusuke hated having to rule, but the practice of selecting a King every four years meant that he had to enter and win on the years when some loser would enter saying that he was going to "Put things back the way they should be!"

Before Yusuke's insane proposal over a thousand years ago, the Demon World had been at war with the Human World and Spirit World. Demons needed to consume human flesh to survive and grow, and that weakness had until that time dictated their actions. In the prosperity that had followed the ascension of Raizen's friend Enki, a solution was found and the demons no longer required humans to survive. The Makai had become a surreally peaceful place in comparison to the eons before.

Many, though, longed for the "glories" of the past. _What a bunch of idiots. Most of them would have been dead years ago if we still did things that way. Hell, I probably would have been the one to kill them._

Yusuke had always done things his own way, and so he was better suited to the Makai than he normally would have been being born human. Even so, it was strange for him to remember how he'd once been a spirit detective for Spirit World, hunting down demons and evil humans that used supernatural powers. Now he was one of the Demon Kings, once feared as the most powerful of all beings. _God, if life isn't a total curve-ball._

Some days though, being one of the rulers of the Makai really ticked him off. _Shura's such an ass, just like his dad._ Yusuke wasn't looking forward to soothing the other Sovereign's ruffled feathers. While Hiei was strong enough to be a King, he hadn't entered the tournament since he took up residence in another dimension. Yusuke wasn't sure what the Imiko was doing here, as Hiei had been characteristically closemouthed when Yusuke had asked.

Yusuke sighed in irritation. "Fire-eyes is going owe me for this."

Boton was straightening out her hair and kimono from her hurried flight. "That's not all, Yusuke," She said with her usual peculiar accent. "Koenma sent a messenger. Some demon was caught in Spirit World preaching some nonsense about the God of the Demons returning." She gave him a significant look. "It took all of the Spirit Defense Force to capture him."

Both of them straightened as they felt portal energy. A moment later, a fiery gateway appeared in the throne room, and Hiei walked through followed by a young girl with pink hair and a small boy in a green flight suit.

"Where have you been you little bastard!" Yusuke asked, ill tempered.

The Pink haired girl looked at Yusuke askance. "He's your boss?" She asked Hiei skeptically.

"Of course not. He just runs Demon World." Jere said in an unconcerned voice. combed his fingers through his hair. "It's nice to see you too, Yusuke," He said sarcastically.

"That's not funny, Hiei! Shura wants to know why you fried the patrol he sent to you!" Yusuke responded instantly.

Jere took his sword from his back, and tossed it negligently into an alcove. He frowned in annoyance that Yusuke was calling him Hiei again. He had been Hiei before, but in his new life, he was Jere. People often forgot that, but he couldn't entirely blame them. Even though he was more than Hiei, many of Hiei's mannerisms and general attitude had carried over. "You have bigger problems, King of the Makai. One of the members of Shura's patrol covered the escape of the demon that was here. Whoever sent it knows about this place now."

"And what's so important that you're doing here that you have to risk war in the Makai to protect?" Yusuke asked angrily.

* * *

A young boy stirred, stretching as he woke up. 

_Two years…_ He thought wonderingly. He'd slept for two years, wandering in his dream form as his body grew younger. He'd spent hundreds of years gathering the necessary components and tracking down the obscure lore required to cast the rejuvenation spell, but it had all been worth it.

He stared at his right hand, once a twisted mass of scars. Now the skin was smooth and healthy. As he twisted it experimentally, it moved easily, unlike before when it had been burned with the black flame.

_I am whole! I am young again!_

The Guardian had had lived for more than a thousand years, born a child forged of Demon blood and Faerie glamour. A truly forbidden union, much as Hiei's had been.

_So, Trigon is coming. Good. I'm ready, you pathetic excuse for a demon!_

The Guardian had forgotten his name. A tragedy of epic proportions had been spawned when he was born more than two thousand years before. He had been named at his birth as "The one who shall hold the darkness in his right hand," and that prophecy had destroyed his life and the lives of all around him.

Nevertheless, even after losing his soul, he still returned to the mortal plane, determined to find out who and what he really was. The prophecy haunted him for more than five hundred years beyond that, when at last he had found the solution, and it had brought him to where he was at that instant.

_To think that the prophecy was derailed, and has returned in full force. Ironic. Without me, Trigon would have no one to stop him but Raven…Those who hunted me and tried to interfere with my destiny were fools…_

He stood at that moment, fully souled and rejuvenated. He'd never felt so alive, and so sure of what was to be. Let his mother doubt. He would be the one to win.

His enemies would know fear again.

He looked to the dragon that had been cradling him as he slept. He smiled fondly.

"C'mon, Strata. It's time."

Strata stirred. Strata was a Black Dragon, fearsome and deadly. His scales were like polished adamant, and his lean form spoke of great agility. He was small for a dragon, only twenty feet long, but no one who looked into Strata's gemlike red eyes ever mistook the dangerous potential of the deceptively little dragon. Strata growled in annoyance.

The Guardian laughed, and it was strange to hear himself laugh at such a high pitch. It was almost a giggle. _I forgot, I'm only about ten years old now._ The thought struck him as funny, and he found himself laughing so hard that he almost fell over. _Isn't this the best joke ever! One of the oldest demons anywhere, and I'm wearing the form of a kid! _

"Alright Strata. You can stay here and sleep. It's only fair, I suppose. You kept watch over me."

Strata made a rumbling sound of contentment and closed his eyes. _Sleep well, my little friend._ The Guardian thought affectionately. Strata was his guardian spirit, and no one was closer to his heart than the bad-tempered razor-winged dragon 

-----------------------------------------

As the Guardian left the sealed cave he'd been sleeping in, he felt the presence of _things_ moving in the lava tubes that led to the surface. He saw a distortion in the air, and he raised his right hand, preparing to summon the black flame.

"Wait! Mr. Guardian! Ms. Reece sent us to guard the tunnels!" A surprisingly childlike voice piped as a mechanical spider suddenly decloaked before him.

_Tachikomas…Reece is amazing._

The Guardian reached out to touch the blue mecha. The robot was strangely harmless looking because of it's earnestness and childlike innocence. When he touched it, he felt the network between the one he was touching and the other seven.

_Amazing. They share their thoughts, so the expansion of their perceptions is geometric. Who knows how far they'll go here._

The Tachikomas had been dismantled and reprogrammed in their homeworld because of the threat of them rebelling. The Guardian had asked Reece to make them bodies here, and he had summoned their souls to his realm. He wasn't afraid of them getting out of hand- he and Strata were the ultimate law in this place.

"Hello, little one. Do you have a name?"

The Tachikoma seemed flustered, and it seemed to the Guardian that it would have blushed if it could have. "No, Mr. Guardian. We're just Tachikomas," it said uncertainly. He had the impression that "it" was a female.

"You have a ghost, so you can have a name, little one."

The Tachikoma looked up to him, looking self-conscious. It amazed him to see how expressive the little robot was.

_She's not little. You aren't as big as you were,_ he told himself firmly, but the sense that she was like a little kid was hard to shake.

"We weren't sure if we had 'ghosts,'" The Tachikoma said as she comically tapped her chin. "The Major thought we might." She seemed to frown thoughtfully. "How do you know we have ghosts? And what happened to us?"

The Guardian sighed. He always hated this part.

"Three of you got out of the lab, reprogrammed."

"Yeah. I remember that part. We wanted to help Mr. Batou."

"Yes, and that power armor pilot killed you."

The Tachikoma looked shaken for a moment. "We're dead?"

"In a manner of speaking. You were dead, and now you're alive."

The Tachikoma seemed to wrestle with that for a moment, and then seemed to confer with the others. "Did it work?" She asked quietly.

The Guardian knew what she was asking. "Batou is alive because of you. Live with that knowledge…but you can never go back."

The car sized robot nodded. "We weren't strong enough. Ms. Reece said that she could upgrade us if we do a good job, though!" She said as gloom was replaced by excitement.

The Guardian nodded. "I know you'll do well here. From now on, you are no longer 'Tachikomas.' You are 'Shugotenshi.'"

"Guardian angels? Yes sir, Mr. Guardian!" She looked downward, shuffling slightly. "Are you sure I can have a name?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course. Would you like me to give you one?"

She looked to the side. "Will you?" She asked softly.

"Alright. Your name is 'Iki.'"

Her stance conveyed confusion. "Spirit?" She asked.

"It means 'Soul' or 'Heart.' Qualities that your Major might have referred to as 'a ghost.'"

"Oh!" She said with dawning comprehension. "Thank you, Mr. Guardian!" Her mood seemed to shift. "What are you doing away from your chamber?" she asked severely. "Ms. Reece said that you were not to be disturbed, and that you shouldn't be up and about for another year!"

_Don't remind me, little one._ Even though his body had regenerated, he needed more recovery time. That time was not available to him, now. _I'll have to be careful, or I'll wreck my body all over again._ The thought was a glum one. He loved to fight more than anything, but his entropic powers literally ate his body away. _I can't participate directly in this war until I recover fully, but I can help the ones involved._

"I have something to take care of, Iki. I'll go back to sleep after that."

"Ok, but don't do anything Ms. Reece would disapprove of! She's scary!"

The Guardian chuckled, but it turned into a wracking cough. _Damn! I'm already starting to backslide!_ His condition was something he was familiar with, but he hated it nonetheless. _Maybe if I kill Trigon, I'll be free of this._

It was something to hope for.

* * *

He arrived in the throne room as Yusuke was shouting at Jere. He stayed in the shadows, catching his breath. Iki had helped him get there, but he was still very weak. He had to be strong in front of strange group of people there. As stepped out of the shadows as he noted who was in attendance. _Jere, Jinx, Gizmo…those other two must be Yusuke and Boton._

"I bid you welcome in my house." The Guardian said ironically.

Yusuke looked at the young boy, and then back to Jere. "I thought this was your place."

Jere frowned at him. "Don't be a moron. I just run it. He's the one who commissioned it."

Yusuke's natural belligerence surfaced. "So who the hell are you? And what are you doing here!"

"My name isn't important. This realm is mine, and I shelter children here. What else would you know, Spirit Detective?" Yusuke seemed taken aback by the young boy's cool glare.

Jinx had been eyeing him with suspicion. "I'm not sure I like how you phrased that," The young sorceress stated. "Gizmo and I don't need 'sheltering.'"

The Guardian turned a pitiless gaze toward Jinx. "Terra Markov cost you your spot at Darkway Prep. Tell me that didn't hurt."

Jinx flinched at the reference to the disaster that had taken most of her options away from her. "What does that have to do with sheltering?" She spat at him.

"How would you like a second chance? My realm makes Darkway look like preschool. You could become an arch-sorceress here."

"Pitsniffing mystics," Gizmo muttered. "Boy am I ever in the wrong place!"

"I didn't forget about you, Gizmo." The Guardian felt a slight smile creep across his face. "I don't practice magic exclusively, so to me it's just another tool. We study technology as well."

"What does this have to do with anything!" Yusuke interrupted bluntly.

"Nothing, really, except that it's important to me. I know something that concerns you, though," The Guardian said with a smirk.

"Really? What would that be?"

"A real Demon King is coming."

Yusuke frowned. "We have Kings. Lots of them."

The Guardian shook his head. "Remember when Enki told you that Yomi and Mukuro were nothing but the scum on Raizen's boots before you ancestor's health declined?"

Yusuke scratched his head. "Yeah, so?"

"You are now easily five times stronger than Raizen was at his best. Still, you and the other S-Class apparitions are like schoolkids on the playground."

"Really…and you're so much stronger?" Yusuke asked skeptically.

"Remember Yusuke, when someone else is stronger, it seems like no power could ever be higher. Shinobu Sensui could have been considered godlike in his power, yet you would make short work of him at your current level. Younger Taguro seemed all powerful to you in the Dark Tournament, didn't he? I bet you were surprised to find out that he was only B-Class."

"Ok, you made your point. How much more powerful can this bastard be though?"

"It's not how powerful he is. It's what he can do to us," Jere surprisingly answered.

Yusuke turned to Jere. "What do you know about this?" He asked harshly.

"Shura's patrol had an A-Class demon named Sazuken in it. He almost killed me."

Yusuke looked shaken. "How is that possible? You're a freakin' S-Class!"

"His power was being augmented, probably by this other Demon King. Also, I couldn't draw my full power in his presence." Jere ran a hand through his hair, a sign of frustration, the Guardian knew. "Who knows what powers this demon can grant?"

The Guardian decided that enough time had been devoted to the subject. "Yusuke and Jere, pull yourselves together. Either we can win or we can't. That's all there is to it. In the meantime I want you to find every S-Class demon in the Makai, Yusuke. Bring them to Raizen's grave in two weeks. We need to warn them about this and recruit as many as possible for the coming battle."

Yusuke looked irked. "You aren't my boss, you freak! Do it yourself!"

"Fine. I'll let you fight all of Trigon's minions. How does that sound?"

"What are you going to be doing, then, if I call them all together?"

"I'm going to be sleeping."

"What?" Yusuke looked incensed. He turned to Jere. "This guy's your boss?"

Jere gave him a look. "You should try using that brain of yours more often, Urameshi. Look at him more closely."

Yusuke stared at the Guardian closely. "You don't look so good. How come?"

The Guardian started to answer, but coughed several times. "My powers are of oblivion itself. Whenever I fight, I slip closer to the grave. Only rest, food and enough time can erase the damage. I must not fight until Trigon shows himself. The battle for the Makai is in your hands."

"Great…what is he good for again?" Yusuke said sarcastically.

Jinx, however, was shivering, as was Gizmo. "I told you we were in over our heads!" The little techno-geek declared to Jinx. "He wants US to fight!"

Jinx was adamantly shaking her head. "I don't fight demon gods! I'm gone!"

"Then you will probably die with a lot of other people, and your lives will become part of the forgotten dust of history," The Guardian said with grim finality.

* * *

The Guardian's words seemed to hit all of the people in the room with the force of a coffin lid slamming. 

"I'll find them," Yusuke said unexpectedly into the dead silence.

The Guardian tilted his head with an inquiring glance.

"I'll bring every S-Class demon I can find to the meeting, even if I have to kick their asses and carry them there myself."

The Guardian's icy visage softened slightly. "I'll do whatever I can to keep this from reaching the Makai," The Guardian said softly. "I can offer you no guarantees though. A prophetess foresaw all of this, and her words were this:

_"During the turning of ages, the true King of Demons shall arise, and in his path all shall bow or shatter before him. Kingdoms will fall, alliances will fail, and brother shall raise hand against brother when he comes. He will herald a new age, and destroy all that came before…"_


End file.
